Details

Persuasive evidence that animated corpses (that's zombies to us today) used to be gray and had see-through rib-cages. Monsters galore, from the underworld, the swamp, outer space--clearly the publisher knew what comic fans wanted in their horror comics! Above average artwork throughout, from the respected Quality Comics Group.

Artist experts speculate that Jack Cole, Shelly Moldoff and Harry Lazurus may have put in appearances here, but since no one was signing these books, sometimes it's tough to tell. I can see at least two stories that look like Jack Cole was involved.

Nicholas and Cuidera dominate the work here, and nicely so. Cuidera is best known as the cover and lead artist for Blackhawk, where he made that book one of the top sellers even throughout the 1950s. Interestingly, he took over Blackhawk from Reed Crandall (and worked alongside Reed). You'll see some of the work, including some great covers, look very much in Crandall's style.

One of the stories here, "Fiend from Outer Space," was so popular it's been reprinted at least six times since this first appearance. Other classic story titles: "The Fiend from Terror Mountain," "The Haunted Forest," "Dreaded Crypts of Horror," "Demon of the Pit," "Skid Row Monster," "The Half-Creatures of the Sargasso Sea," "The Messenger from Beyond," "Scared to Death," and "Crypt of the Living."

Several of the stories credited to Louis Ravielli have superlative fine line work, so much so they remind us of Al Williamson. Ravielli is better known for his stories at Avon, where he was, along with Wally Wood and Everett Raymond Kinstler, one of the go-to artists for those wonderful "contents page" inside front covers that present that issue's stories in black & white line art. Final volume of this title.